Kyrgyzstan

As President Roza Otunbayeva declared her commitment
to press freedom, parliament decriminalized libel,
eliminating
a tool used by authorities in the past to
suppress critical journalism. But rising violence, censorship, and politically
motivated prosecutions marred the year in Kyrgyzstan. Parliament ordered state agencies to block
domestic access to the critical website Fergana News, although the order was not immediately implemented. Ahead of
the October 30 presidential vote won by Almazbek
Atambayev, legislators ordered domestic broadcasters to screen foreign-produced programming and remove content that could insult
the candidates. An investigative commission
under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe found Kyrgyz authorities
complicit in the ethnic conflict that gripped the south in June 2010. The conflict continued to cast a dark shadow over press
freedom. Authorities brought trumped-up extremism charges against two ethnic
Uzbek media owners, who went into exile after being
compelled to give up their news assets. AnotherethnicUzbek journalist, Azimjon Askarov, was serving a life prison term on fabricated charges despite international calls for his release. Legislators banned local media from publishing images of the conflict on
its anniversary.

In a June public letter, 40 journalists and press freedom advocates demanded that authorities
investigate and solve continuing attacks against
journalists, according to local
press reports. Anti-press violence was on
the rise in 2011, according to CPJ research.

Attacks over time in Kyrgyzstan:

As many as 90 foreign television channels were affected by a new provision in election law
that
required domestic operators to screen
foreign-produced content and remove material that could insult candidates, domestic cable operators said. Members of parliament
had argued that foreign media--Russian state-owned broadcasters in particular--would seek to influence election results,
according
to CPJ interviews and local press.

Censorship over time in Kyrgyzstan:2007: 1 independent newspaper stopped printing after its editor's
murder. 2008: 2 independent newspapers were forced to close in the face of criminal defamation and
insult charges, CPJ research showed.2009: 1 independent newspaper closed after staff members were threatened, according to CPJ research and regional press. 2010: 6 critical news outlets were targeted by authorities with retaliatory lawsuits or
regulatory blocking, CPJ research showed.2011: 1 regional news website, Fergana News, was blacklisted, regional and international press reported.

Press freedom and human rights groups, including CPJ, believe the charges against Askarov were fabricated in retaliation for his reporting on ethnic conflict and the abuse
of detainees in southern Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Court rebuffed his appeal in December, according to regional press reports.

Askarov case timeline:June 15, 2010: Jalal-Abad police arrested Askarov
on charges of incitement to ethnic conflict.August 12, 2010: Regional prosecutors indicted
Askarov on charges that included incitement to ethnic hatred, calls to mass disorder, and complicity in a police officer's
murder.September 15, 2010: Despite procedural violations and allegations that Askarov was tortured in
custody, a regional court sentenced him to life in prison.November 10, 2010: A regional court denied Askarov's
appeal. Due to poor health, the journalist was transferred to a prison hospital.December 20, 2011: In a ruling seen as a major blow to press freedom, the Supreme Court rejected Askarov's appeal.

After the June 2010 conflict, ethnic Uzbek media owners Khalil Khudaiberdiyev and Dzhavlon
Mirzakhodzhayev faced attacks, harassment, and retaliatory prosecution.
Authorities forced Khudaiberdiyev to sell his company, Osh TV. Mirzakhodzhayev suspended operation of Mezon TV and the newspapers
Portfel and Itogi Nedeli. The
outlets had produced news in Uzbek, as well as in Russian and Kyrgyz. As both owners fled the country, the country's largest
ethnic minority was left without access to news in
its native language.

A loss of Uzbek-language news:

10

At least 10 electronic and print media outlets in southern Kyrgyzstan produced reports and
programming in the Uzbek language before the 2010
conflict, local sources told CPJ.

1

In September, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry denied accreditation to a journalist with the Uzbek service of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the reporter
told CPJ.

In July, Kyrgyzstan's Central Elections Commission excluded Web-based news agencies from the
list of media accredited to cover the
presidential campaign and the October 30 vote, the Bishkek-based Media Policy Institute reported.
Tuigunaly Abdraimov, the commission chairman, said the agency would not issue the accreditations because it did not have
regulatory power over online outlets.